Vascular disorders and defects such as aneurysms and other arterio-venous malformations are especially difficult to treat when located near critical tissues or where ready access to a malformation is not available. Both difficulty factors apply especially to cranial aneurysms. Due to the sensitive brain tissue surrounding cranial blood vessels and the restricted access, it is very challenging and often risky to surgically treat defects of the cranial vasculature.
Typically, a stent-like vascular reconstruction device is first guided beneath the aneurysm to be treated using a delivery catheter. One commercially available reconstruction product is the CERENOVOUS ENTERPRISE® Vascular Reconstruction Device and System as described, whereby The CERENOVOUS ENTERPRISE® stent device is carried by a central delivery wire and initially held in place on the delivery wire in a collapsed state by a sheath-type introducer. Typically, a delivery catheter such as a PROWLER® SELECT® Plus microcatheter, also commercially available from Cerenovous and as disclosed by Gore et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,622, for example, is first positioned intravascularly with its distal tip slightly beyond the neck of the aneurysm. The tapered distal tip of the introducer is mated with the proximal hub of the delivery catheter, and the delivery wire is then advanced through the delivery catheter.
The CERENOVOUS ENTERPRISE® stent device has a highly flexible, self-expanding closed cell design with a number of coils of radiopaque wire to serve as markers at each flared end of the device. Manufacture of such markers is relatively time-consuming and expensive due to the small size of the stent and the need to wrap the radiopaque wire multiple times around struts on the stent, which is especially difficult within closed cells of the stent.
Vascular aneurysms have several methods of treatment available. One approach includes flow diverting stents that can be intra-vascular stents dense enough so that blood flow is diverted from entering the aneurysm. Such flow diverters are a recent and growing treatment option. Otherwise, the majority of the current generation of flow diverters are composed of a tubular braid of metal wires that are operate similar to a finger trap toy. These tubular braids are then compressed radially, delivered through a small-bore catheter to the treatment site, and then expanded in place.
Further, the weakness and non-linear nature of the neurovasculature limits the applicability of such stents in procedures, for example, in repairing neurovascular defects. Furthermore, known delivery methods are less useful in vasoocclusive surgery, particularly when tiny vessels, such as those found in the brain, are to be treated. Accordingly, there is a need for braided implants that can be used with delivery techniques in vasoocclusive treatment of neurovascular defects that provides selective reinforcement in the vicinity of the neurovascular defect. There is also a need for a braided stent that reduces trauma or risk of rupture to the blood vessel. The solution of this disclosure resolves these and other issues of the art.